


On the Brink

by CoverFireGoddess880 (orphan_account)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha/Omega, Animal Instincts, Animal Traits, Copulation, Gladio makes a great alpha, M/M, Mammalian Labor and Birth, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mating rights, Mpreg, Noctis is a pretty kitty, Poachers, Scent Marking, Sexual Content, Somewhere in Leide, Wild Cat AU, territorial marking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 12:37:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13007931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CoverFireGoddess880
Summary: An AU where lions play, roam and mate. Sometimes fight, and are sometimes hunted.Gladiolus is a very different kind of lion, and so is his mate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on an Alpha/Omega AU and I hope it's good. I did a lot of research before writing this so it would be enjoyable to read with much accuracy.
> 
> Also, I chose lions because of cats. I love cats and have 3 of my own. They inspire me! :)
> 
> All four chocobros are supposed to be their older selves ;)

Hunting was tiring work. Gladio felt like he was about to drop after hours of hunting for food after dark. Now all he wanted was to get his promised supper back to his den where his mate awaited him, then he could lie down and sleep. But there was something ominous in the air… something threatening, and it was coming closer.

Gladio went on full alert, perking his ears up to hear even the slightest sound as his mane hairs stood on end. He let out a guttural growl, anticipating this unknown threat. A breeze fluttered by and with it came the scent of another male feline; this was not going to end well.

The alpha dropped his prized anak kill from his bared fangs, sniffing at the wind for the direction that the scent blew in from. That musky, anal scent… Gladio knew that smell all too well. This male that was headed his way used to be an old friend, but this was not going to be a reunion. This other male was an alpha, and Gladio could smell the odor of his wet glands on the wind.

The moon illuminated the prairie lands with a soft, white glow as a chill breeze swept over the dusty ground. Gladio was already exhausted, being as heavy a wild cat as he was; however, no matter the threat, he would stand and be ready to pounce the way he had always been known for. He boasted quite the impressive muscular build and a long, brown flowing mane that seemed to impose an air of kingliness. His heavy, broad paws could wrap all the way around and strangle a human man’s neck, given that opportunity. The scars he carried on his face were the result of many a fierce battle with rival males looking for mates; but the scar that ran over his left eye he regarded as a trophy for a different reason.

The male’s scent became stronger and more potent as he approached Gladio’s vicinity. The large alpha waited patiently, hoping to get the first pounce or swipe at him; as fatigued as Gladio was, he wasn’t about to drop his guard against another threatening alpha male around his territory.

Especially since he was so close to approaching his den. 

Gladiolus was definitely on edge, growling lowly as his amber eyes flashed a hot anger. But even though he could smell his anal scent so strongly around everything, the familiar male never showed up. There was no movement in the bushes or trees, and the wind carried the other alpha’s scent into the faraway distance.

Gladio sniffed the air once more, then huffed his relief, picking his kill back up into his mouth and padding off for his den.

The moment he got back, he heard a low mewl from deep within the den and trotted in immediately, only to find his expectant mate lying sprawled out over their bed of straw and fur kills. His mate began to purr as he kneaded on the warm, cozy nest. “Welcome home, love.”

Gladiolus felt a heat rise in his belly at the sight of his vulnerable, pregnant mate awaiting him in their love nest. He tried to shake it off, but the barbs on his penis stuck out as his balls dripped with sweat; wanting to mate with him, despite him already carrying their cubs. “You feel okay today?”

His mate hummed, his little pale nose twitching as he writhed on the nest, sensing and smelling Gladiolus’s arousal. “Mm-hm, where’s dinner? I’m starving,” his deep, passionate tone beckoned Gladio to come closer. As his mate squirmed on the furs, his dark tail began slapping against the floor of the den, letting his alpha know he’d give him a quick romp before their meal.

“All I could find was anak meat. I know how much you love it, Noct, but I’ve gotta find something a little better for us next time,” he said, creeping his way over toward his heated mate.

“The cubs love it though,” Noctis remarked, lying just so his swollen belly wouldn’t be pushed into the ground when Gladio mounted him. “And I think what’s good for the cubs is good for me.”

“Too fatty.”

“Helps ‘em grow faster and stronger… like their father.”

Gladiolus came up from behind him and placed his weight over Noctis’s back, the younger wild cat purring louder now as he swept his tail beside his body, awaiting his mate’s erection to fill his desperate opening. Noctis arched forward, pushing himself out just a little from under Gladiolus’s oppressive body heat, when the large alpha pressed his broad paw against his pelvis to hold him in place. “Down,” he growled, to which Noctis complied.

Noctis let out a sudden yelp as his mate’s barbed arousal entered his slick vagina, sheathing the larger, more important part of his girth deep inside of him. Gladiolus's quick thrusts gained many guttural mewls and snarls out of his mate, already close to copulation.

The alpha leaned in and bit on multiple areas of his omega’s soft neck flesh, leaving his sexual, territorial markings; he wanted all other alphas to know that he belonged to him. Their mating sessions were usually pretty quick, but sometimes Gladio would remain inside of his omega for around forty-five minutes, just so he could relish the feeling of pride that swelled his head when dominating his willing mate once again.

As Gladiolus spent such precious time mating with his Noctis, he could feel the tiny paws soon to be born knitting inside his mate’s womb. He growled in pleasure, picking up speed before his impatient semen spilled out and swam into his mate’s warm, satisfied body. “Good… still hungry?”

Noctis laid himself slightly on his side, his paws knitting above the cave floor as he purred softly. “Gladiolus…”

Gladio knew just how happy and satisfied his mate truly was when he used his full name after successful copulation. He smiled down at him, lying himself on top of him as his broad paws came to wrap around his heavy belly. The gentle vibrations of Noctis’s purring rumbled in Gladio’s empty stomach, making him yearn for some of the meat he hunted for today. “Eat?”, the alpha urged, gaining a disturbed growl from his mate.

“Not yet. Just lie here with me,” he murmured, his purring fading away as he almost fell asleep.

Purposefully hoping to wake him, Gladio pulled out from his sleepy omega, knowing he and their cubs needed to receive nourishment now.

The barbs on the alpha’s erect penis caught on Noctis’s vaginal walls, causing him to lash out and snarl at him, clawing at Gladiolus’s long mane. “Shit! What did you do that for?!”

“You need to eat,” he purred, licking inside his mate’s tufty, little ears. “Both you and the cubs need some food right now. You’ve barely eaten all day.”

Noctis tilted his ears back in annoyance, shaking his head to get his alpha off of him. “You’re on edge, aren’t you? Did you catch a whiff of anyone strange out there today? You always seem to get rough like this when you’ve smelled someone else. Is that it?”

“Maybe,” Gladio grumbled, licking at his mate’s stubbled chin and then down to his plush fur breast. “Smelled that same alpha again. You know, the one who likes to mark all the trees around here? In MY territory?”

Noctis yowled in discomfort, feeling the pushing and kneading of their cubs inside his heavy womb. It was almost time for him to give birth. “Gods… they’re so strong and heavy. But I know that means they’re yours,” he snuggled his head inside Gladiolus’s coarse mane. “You don’t have to worry about those other males, Gladio. Unless they come right into our den, then I’d say give ‘em hell.”

“But this one… he can smell you, I know he can. Why else would he be out here except for seeking out a chance to breed you?”

Noctis laughed, turning over on his back with his paws up. “He can’t breed me, I’m already with cubs. Isn’t that pretty obvious?”

“You could still overreact to his scent, Noct. He’s a pretty powerful alpha,” he reasoned, tenderly knitting at his omega’s soft, swollen underside. “Your beautiful, luscious scent is enough just to have him prowling around out here.”

Noctis whimpered, flexing his lithe paws over Gladiolus’s bigger ones. “You don’t think he’d actually try to come close to me… right?”

“He could.”

Gladiolus wasn’t lying about Noctis being such a desirable mate. He was quite beautiful and an incredibly fertile omega, leading dozens of alphas to vie for him in every heat cycle he entered that past spring and fall.

He proved to be an agile hunter as well, even claiming and marking some of his own territory before becoming an alpha’s mate last year. He often sprayed in various areas around his usual hunting spots, hoping to snare anyone who tried to steal his kills. But all his marking did was attract unwanted potential mates.

His wonderful scent of musky hayseed and ripe plums only added to his sexual attractiveness. His plush, ebony coat absorbed the midday sun’s bright rays in such a way that he seemed to be covered in a soft, heavy, luscious down; similar to a graceful black swan. The way he strutted about and leapt and bounded after prey was enough to get alpha males’ erections dripping with pre-seed, watching on with amusement as Noctis’s fluffy tufts of fur around his neck, belly and genital area swished along with the breeze. He looked more like a furry bobcat than a brooding, independent intersex lion.

But those orbs of his… those rare, sapphired eyes that were ever watchful seemed to bore into every lion’s soul if he so much as glanced at them. His face could be described as adorable to some, what with that twitchy, pale little nose, those soft, plump, fuzzy lips, his long, dark whiskers, his blue-hued, slender tail, and his luscious raven locks that those cute, perky tufted ears peeked out of… he was gorgeous and he belonged only to Gladiolus, a proud alpha male.

And soon to be the proud parents of a litter of newborn cubs. Their first litter together since the large alpha had claimed him during his last heat.

Six months ago, when Gladiolus first approached Noctis’s temporarily marked territory, he fell in love. His scent was so intoxicating that he seemed to be drawn to it, lying in wait till the lovely-scented omega came back. Days went by with Gladiolus returning to the area every evening, hoping just to watch that beautiful, ebony-coated omega sulk around with his latest kill.

When Noctis would leave his marked place to hunt for supper, Gladiolus would sneak over and spray his own scent over the tree he regularly slept in every night; attempting to attract the omega’s attention for breeding. Gladiolus was quite proud of his own scent, sometimes rolling in his own just to have it on his body.

Noctis wasn’t the least bit oblivious to the alpha’s continuous marking over his territory, he simply was playing around with him; teasing him. He was going to make the hungry alpha work for this, hoping to make a lasting impression on just how desperately he wanted to breed him.

Gladiolus certainly made for an interesting mate, making it known to the ebony omega that he wasn’t planning to own a pride, but that he wanted only Noctis. He wanted to breed him, mate him, fill him with his seed and watch as his belly swelled with their cubs. Gladiolus was a one-mate lion, never desiring a full pride of females and cubs; others sometimes criticized him for this, saying he couldn’t ever be a true alpha without the need for dominance. But Gladio had plenty of wants and needs.

Noctis was at the top of his list and on the bottom of his warm, bulging genitals.

He often dreamed about it, even preparing a nesting den for them both before the omega had even recognized the alpha as a potential mate.

One hot, summer day changed all that though, when poachers invaded on Noctis’s territory, armed with rifles and knives. Noctis was a rare beauty, and hunters everywhere hoped to catch a glimpse and land the kill for his gorgeous, gleaming coat. They snuck up on him just as he started going into an intense heat. They pointed their guns at his head and his heart, aiming for the most lethal parts as his beautiful fur was what they came for.

The vulnerable omega writhed and yowled, calling out for a mate to breed him. He was calling specifically for Gladiolus, purposefully rubbing in his scent below the tree. He was completely oblivious to the poachers’ dangerous presence; death being a fleeting thing for them when it came to getting paid for shooting such a beautiful creature. That was the only thing all the hunters at Meldacio spent their entire lives working for.

Luckily, Gladiolus had been out hunting in the area when he caught wind of the omega’s beautiful, desperate cries for him, and only him. He raced as fast as he could for his tree, the throbbing of his erect penis spurring him on even faster for his intense desire to mate with him.

As he entered that wonderful, aromatic area, he immediately sensed danger… something was wrong and he could smell the gunpowder and that sickening copper odor of the rifles. Coming closer, he saw the six poachers all in a row, aiming their guns right at his future mate, who was squirming and rolling around while hastily licking himself in the deep of his heat.

Rage overcame Gladiolus’s courageous heart, tearing an aggressive roar from inside his throat. All six hunters turned toward the territorial growling, watching in fear as the large alpha lion charged them, trying to protect the weakened, fertile omega.

Thankfully, he was able to drive them off, wounding all of them in the process. But it came with a price.

One of them pulled a knife just in time to cut down Gladiolus’s left eye, leaving him with a bleeding scar for life. But he was proud of himself and in the end, it all worked in his favor.

Noctis’s heat lasted through all the violence and even into the evening. Upon seeing the concerned alpha approaching him in such a weakened state, he whimpered as he rolled over onto his belly and raised his opening into the air, preparing for copulation. But as Gladiolus came closer, the omega growled dangerously low, letting him know he was willing but alert to anything that the alpha might try with him. He was testing him.

Noctis hissed, swatting at him. He wasn’t like a normal lioness who would let the first closest male pounce on her. He needed to make sure this was to be the perfect father of his cubs. His protector, his ensurer.

His mate for life.

Gladiolus proved that quite quickly, purring a roar that calmed the omega’s fears and nerves, lowering himself close to the ground to show Noctis that he understood his intentions and desires. He respected this omega’s incredible tenacity and ability; he wasn’t about to just take advantage of him.

Noctis eyed him with every cautious step the alpha took, crawling his way around toward the omega’s swollen, red, tender vulva. But before he mounted the omega, Gladiolus leaned in to lick at his genitals, soothing them comfortingly while Noctis yelped in agreement. As soon as Noctis felt calmed enough, the large, gentle alpha mounted him slowly as he inched his arousal into the omega’s fertile vagina.

That night, they became mates for life. Gladiolus dominated this beautiful creature all for himself, claiming him and marking him forever on his belly just above his genital region. Noctis’s neck also had markings, each one symbolizing love, dominance and ownership. In return for this passionate, successful mating ritual, Noctis licked and nuzzled into his new alpha’s wet genitals, lightly kissing them.

His way of saying, “thank you.”

Gladiolus tore off an appropriate piece of meat with his impressive fangs, large enough to feed his mate and their growing litter of cubs. The patient alpha wouldn’t even touch his portion until Noctis was well fed and sleepy again, licking inside of his perky, little ears as his omega ate. “You’re so beautiful…”

Noctis hadn’t stopped purring since they mated a few minutes ago. “So are you,” he replied, finishing off the rib meat of the anak. “You eat now, you need it. I’m done.”

Noctis stretched his paws out in front, then his back before he headed toward the cave entrance. His ears perked up straight as his nose twitched at something making noise outside.

Gladiolus sensed just that and ran to confront his mate, blocking him. “The hell are you going?”

Noctis’s sapphire eyes were dilated and feral, his natural instincts taking over as a primal roar filled the air outside.

Gladio growled, coming up to bite at Noctis’s neck as he stood on his hind legs to force his omega back into the den. “Stay.”

Noctis backed down, but mewled in soft protest.

Gladio growled louder, barring his canine fangs. “Stay!”, he barked forcefully.

That same alpha roared again in the distance. It was both territorially and sexually uttered as the alpha howled in desperation afterwards.

Gladiolus stood poised in defense at his den’s opening, roaring back equally as loud. The alpha howled once more before his sound blew off into the wind again. 

Gladiolus’s firm, protective roar brought Noctis back to his senses as he sulked back over to his birthing nest. “Gladio?”, he mewled, knitting on the furs as his breathing remained labored.

Gladio turned back into the den and curled up beside his mate, licking around his face to comfort him. He gazed into those rare, blue eyes he loved so much.

“Protect us, Gladio… please.” The omega nuzzled into his alpha mate’s great mane and fell asleep.

Gladiolus nudged him in the side of his raven crown, gently kneading his big paws on his omega’s tender, swollen middle where their cubs rested. “I won’t let him near you, Noctis… I swear it.” 

The large alpha remained awake and in full guard mode the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oy, things are so busy right now that it's getting a little more difficult to keep up with updates, but here's one for our kitty boys!
> 
> So, I hope you like this!

Noctis was restless. The constant pressure and heaviness from his womb filled with cubs had him pacing the floor of the den all morning, mewling loudly. He didn’t know how many cubs he was carrying, but he was sure it had to be at least four or five. He needed to get out, move around; have some room to roam about freely before isolating himself to give birth.

His repetitive scratching and clawing at the walls while howling caught his alpha mate’s attention, perking his ears as he grew concerned for his pregnant, impatient omega. Gladiolus padded over, shaking his ruffled mane as he pawed at his mate’s rump.

Noctis whipped around, swatting at his alpha’s face as he raised his back fur in defense. Gladiolus backed away as his omega began circling him with a wild look in his eyes, then raced over to their nest again where he licked at his swollen teats.

Gladiolus approached slowly, his head low and his tail down. Noctis made a tiny squeak as he plopped down on his side with his paws in the air. As soon as his alpha came close enough, the ebony lion reached out and latched onto his mate’s neck, biting at him. “Play with me,” he purred through bared teeth.

Now, Gladiolus’s fur stuck up as his mate rolled back and forth on the nest, his tail slamming against the floor. The large alpha circled him with his back arched, his ears back and that familiar heat rising in his belly again. He growled lightly, sneaking into Noctis’s genital area only to be met with swatting claws. “Shit, you got my eye,” he grumbled, shaking his head.

Noctis kicked himself against the furs, pushing his weight toward his alpha to paw around his mane. “Let me come hunting with you today.”

“No,” Gladio growled, bucking away from his mate’s paws.

Noctis purred loudly. “Please, Gladio… I need to get out and do something.” The cubs flopped around in his belly then, causing him to mewl at the pressure. “Ungh, please?! I can hunt, promise.”

Gladiolus came around behind him, pawing at his rump to get him to lie on his belly. “Not with that alpha out there.” A guttural groan erupted from the alpha’s throat as Noctis obeyed and rolled over onto his heavy middle.

“But I’ll be with you. We’ll be fine,” he replied, his purring fading away as Gladiolus mounted him.

“I said “no”. I want you here.” His barbed penis shivering as he placed it inside of his mate, shaking his bottom up and down as he breeded him yet again.

But the omega wasn’t really in the mood right now, growling lowly as he turned over and swatted at his alpha mate, hissing. “Off,” Noctis demanded.

Gladiolus pulled out, standing on his hind legs as he unsheathed his claws. “Down!” He swiped at his omega’s paws as he loomed over him. “DOWN!”, he roared, scratching at Noctis’s pregnant belly.

Noctis yelped at the sharp contact, whipping over onto his feet again as he backed defensively against the wall of the cave, raising his back with a deafening hiss.

Despite being an omega and dominated by a pure alpha male, Noctis still held a bit of a wild streak born as a male. Although he carried his mate’s cubs, he wasn’t one to back away from a fight. If he felt threatened, he would defend himself.

Even against his own alpha.

It was something Gladiolus had not yet fully accepted, wanting full dominance over his mate; just as an alpha lion should. Their bond was forged purely on mutual respect for each being a male. Noctis was born an omega and lived to be breeded and claimed by an alpha male, and his natural instincts forced him to lie before his mate.

Still, if there was a disagreement, sharp claws and low growls would ensue as the two fought over their own instinctual needs, sometimes wounding each other in the process. But it never lasted for long with Noctis’s omega nature eventually relenting to his alpha; showing Gladiolus that he was his faithful mate, surrendering to his hormonal authority.

Noctis continued to hiss as Gladiolus stood his ground, still baring his giant claws. The omega stopped to lick at his wounds on his belly, protectively raising his back to shield his cubs from their own father.

Gladiolus let out a small, but commanding roar as he sauntered closer to his mate, reminding him just who the alpha was here. He growled once more, this time a little louder and it made Noctis lower his back, but he still wasn’t fully convinced.

It wasn’t until Gladiolus came up behind him and bit on his neck with one last grumbly roar did his omega finally give in and lie down again. “You know I wouldn’t ever hurt you, right?”

Noctis held his ears back, still annoyed and on alert from the little scuffle. “Didn’t seem that way to me. You scratched at the cubs,” he growled.

Gladiolus licked his omega’s warm genitals and nuzzled against his rump, purring. “I’m sorry, just got carried away. I remember how you reacted to that alpha’s call....”

“Gladio, I said I’d be with you! We’ll be fine, I won’t overreact.”

“Can you really promise me that?”

“Promise. I just need some room, Gladio.”

Gladio gently pawed on his rump, asking for a quick mating session. “Alright, but only if you stay close to me.”

Noctis mewled in happiness, sweeping his tail aside for his alpha mate to dominate him again.

>>>

The rest of that hot afternoon they spent out in the open prairie, stalking and hunting for their prized kills. Noctis acted like a young, wild kitten, leaping and bounding after weak and vulnerable prey despite being heavy with cubs. He still maintained that lithe, graceful form that captured the attention of so many other male alphas.

But Gladiolus remained steady and alert, feeling too wary about his mate being out in the open and visible to all prying eyes to be carelessly sulking around. He sat on a dirt mound close to where his omega was currently waiting to pounce on a lost, helpless anak calf; the alpha’s great, auburn mane flowing regally in the breezy heat.

A few minutes later, Noctis came padding up behind him with his first kill of the anak calf, sitting beside him while he gave his mate’s breast a quick bath. “Thanks for bringing me, love. I needed this,” his purring thrumming louder.

Gladiolus let out a low huff in response, ever watchful of the shimmering horizon. The exhausted omega gave his bloody paws a quick lick and then laid on his side, the cubs knitting softly in his womb. Only when his mate laid beside him did Gladiolus lie with his giant paws out in front, still prepared for anything that might threaten his growing family.

It was so hot, both of them panting with their tongues hanging out of their mouths as they began to fall asleep. Gladiolus picked his girth up and sulked down behind his mate, satisfied with how peaceful the atmosphere seemed this afternoon. His coarse tongue slowly licked at his omega’s genital region, hoping to get some reaction out of him.

When it was this hot, Gladiolus’s hormonal and primal instincts glazed over all reality, making him feel like it was time to mate yet again; even though he already knew he was going to be an alpha father in a few days time.

Noctis stirred with an almost inaudible yowl, his eyes still closed as he obeyed his alpha’s wishes. Gladiolus growled dominantly, calling for his mate to relax and enjoy their peace together. He mounted his omega, entering his vagina with one lazy movement.

Noctis purred softly, growling in his pleasure while Gladiolus breeded him for about the sixth time that day.

In the middle of their copulation, that desperate, sexually aroused roar filled the air again, causing Gladiolus to pull out immediately before they were finished; he left Noctis to flop over onto his side, disappointed by the sudden emptiness.

The anxious alpha stood poised for a wild encounter with that alpha male, who had been stalking them and wandering around Gladiolus’s territorial grounds for months. The wonderful, aromatic scent of the omega was just too intoxicating.

Soon, that desperate alpha appeared in the distance, howling for a chance to breed with Gladiolus’s sweet-scented mate.

Gladiolus let out an incredible roar, warning him to stay far away. But it didn’t deter the other alpha from sauntering towards the couple, his steps becoming more and more eager for the vulnerable omega.

The opposing alpha inched ever closer, making little yowls as he kept his gaze on Gladiolus, whose eyes glared a possessive sheen. He was ready for a fight, but so was Gladiolus.

He would protect Noctis and his unborn cubs till his death.

The moment he came into full view over the hills and could see that beautiful, ebony omega, he howled to let him know he wanted to breed him. Gladiolus stood on his hind legs and roared at the top of his lungs, his mate perking his ears at the intense territorial argument.

The other alpha male did the same as he rose to his hind legs and bellowed his own roar, eyeing the omega now; the lust in his darkened orbs beckoning Noctis to come so he could claim him.

Noctis crawled closer to his alpha mate, whimpering as the cubs jostled each other inside of his swollen belly. He was so very close to giving birth now, that his instinctual sexual needs were becoming more powerful. The call of the other alpha tugged at him so hard that his deep blue eyes looked to Gladiolus for protection.

The cubs were the most important things here and the alpha father could feel it in his feral bones. His blood began pumping harder, his breathing labored and uneven as he huffed out low growls, signalling at the other alpha that it meant death to him should he come closer.

But before the other alpha could stalk them any further, Gladiolus jumped off the mound and spread his large paws out in an intimidating stance, letting out his deepest, threatening roar.

The other alpha male watched every move Gladiolus made, studying his position as the omega started yowling for his mate. In one desperate attempt, the other alpha raced for Noctis, his short, tattered mane brushing over his neck. Gladiolus leapt for his mate’s side, guarding him with his fangs bared at the stranger alpha.

But he still did not back down.

From the overwhelming odor of his powerful, anal scent, Gladiolus could tell that this alpha had won many territorial and mating rights in the past. He possibly had an entire pride of females and cubs, and Noctis was just one precious omega he wanted to add to his dominion.

“Cor…,” Gladio growled, holding his defensive stance in front of his mate. “Leave. Now.”

Cor Leonis never backed down, sauntering around the alpha male to catch a glimpse of the heated, pregnant omega. “Let me breed him,” he grumbled. “That omega… he’s beautiful…”

Noctis eyed the other alpha, releasing a fearful mewl as the cubs kneaded and plopped around inside of his womb. If this alpha did indeed fight Gladiolus to claim his mate, Cor would kill Noctis’s cubs as soon as they were birthed; all for the purpose of killing off Gladiolus’s posterity for his own traits to be passed on in his own cubs.

But the alpha father was determined and enraged at this. He wasn’t going to let him near his mate, like he promised.

Gladio gave a mighty roar, rushing for the other alpha when he came too close to his mate, who laid beside him; knitting his paws over the ground as all of his natural instincts began to give in to Cor. Noctis yowled for him.

Cor was tackled to the ground then and the two wrestled for dominance and the right to take the expectant omega.

Cor being the older, more experienced alpha, quickly pinned Gladiolus, biting into his neck and clawing at his face and chest. The blood of the alpha father dripped from his claws as Cor pounced on his belly, knocking the wind out of him.

Gladiolus tried swiping back at him, but his giant paws were held down by the much bigger alpha, who struck at his flesh and gnawed on his neck. He left a large, gaping wound on his throat, pawing him down as Gladiolus attempted to roll back onto his feet.

Pleased with how easily he subdued and drained the alpha father’s strength, Cor strutted his way over to the panting omega, who mewled for the victorious alpha. Cor Leonis circled him three times before he padded behind Noctis and mounted his back, biting down hard on his neck flesh, demanding to breed him.

Noctis yelped, rocking his hips back and forth as he tried to get comfortable on his swollen belly, sweeping his tail to the side. He was giving into the stranger alpha now. “Cor…,” the omega purred weakly.

But before the gray lion alpha could breed him, Gladiolus picked himself back up and let out a feeble, but determined roar. He stood bloody and torn, his mane missing some fur as he raised his back and bared his teeth at the vicious alpha. “Leave, Cor! Back the hell away from my family.”

Cor let out a savage bark, thrusting his barbed penis into the omega, earning a frightened yowl from him as he writhed against the enemy alpha.

Gladiolus gathered all of his strength and roared louder than he had ever before, charging for the alpha. He leapt over his mate and pushed Cor Leonis to the dusty ground, clawing into his aged, scarred chest with ferocious anger. Noctis howled at the scratches from the enemy alpha’s barbs retracting and clawing his vaginal walls, flopping onto his side, breathless.

Gladiolus kicked his hind legs at the alpha, boxing him now with his bloody claws. The two stood on their back paws, each trying to throw the other to the ground. But Gladiolus was faster, hurling Cor’s neck to the ground and jumping onto it, biting at his heart. He kicked at his face with his hind claws until the other alpha no longer put up a struggle.

The alpha father slowly climbed off of Cor Leonis, who lay lifeless on his back with his paws limp in the air. Gladiolus left for his mate’s side, glancing back at Cor once more before letting out a huff and limping off.

The large alpha found his mate lying on his side, his belly visibly throbbing with the impatient cubs as he mewled desperately, feeling the intense, growing pressure. “...Gladiolus!” 

Gladiolus laid beside him, tenderly licking his face and his soft, luscious, ebony tuft around his neck. “I know, Noct… it’s time, isn’t it?”

“Gladiolus…!” Noctis squirmed, slapping his tail hard with every aching labor pain. “Gladiolus, they’re coming...”

“It’s okay, Noctis… let’s get back to the den. You need to rest,” he whimpered, nudging his omega’s back with his soft, wet nose to help him up.

Noctis swayed limpy in pain all the way back, yowling into the growing evening as the cubs pounded within his pulsing womb. Gladiolus guarded him on both sides, following close behind him to make sure no more threats endangered his precious, laboring mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, an interesting fact about lions: did you know that the sharp barbs on the male's penis actually hurts the female during mating for a reason? It helps to stimulate ovulation, isn't that so cool?
> 
> Also, did you know certain lioness's in Botswana have manes like males do? I think that's pretty cool too :)
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter, let me know! Thanks so much for reading my story<3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love AU fics with GladNoct... they're so fun!

As the laboring omega sauntered weakly into their quiet, cozy den, Gladiolus halted just before the outcropping and sniffed the air, hoping Cor had been his only challenge for today. ...The breeze carried no feral arousals nor territorial yowls, reporting back to the alpha father’s twichy, large, brown nose that everything was safe, peaceful.

The instant his mate let out a pained mewl, Gladiolus leapt for his side. He lay flat on his belly beside his omega in their warm nest, tenderly licking inside of his ears to calm him. Noctis slapped his tail against the floor of the cave sprawled out on his side, panting and huffing as his labor progressed.

The labor was a slow process, each contraction taking its sweet time as Noctis yowled in discomfort, the cubs flopping around playfully inside his belly as they awaited their birth. He looked to his alpha mate, sniffing at his auburn coat with a tiny whimper. “Gladiolus…”

Gladiolus huffed, his eyes fluttering closed as his breaths slowed; he was exhausted, barely able to stay awake after his fight. But he managed to keep a watchful eye on his omega, perking his ears to listen as the feeble mewls from his unborn cubs danced into his lobes. He began to purr, nudging his mate in the head for comfort.

Noctis writhed a bit against the warm furs in their nest, his breathing quickening as the first cub neared its exit. The pressure in his bottom earned a faint whimper from his fuzzy lips as he tried to purr in response to his alpha mate. It took about five minutes for the first cub to appear, sliding out of his vagina in a gooey, white film as the laboring omega heaved his breaths with each push.

He lay still, panting as the cub waited for the next push. Noctis held his tail in the air, giving another push as the cub slowly slid down out of his red, swollen opening and writhed on the floor of the den. Eventually, the cub pawed away from its mother, taking a few blind, wobbly steps before collapsing on the ground.

The omega crawled around to see his newborn, licking the remnant discharge of birth fluids off of their first male cub. Gladiolus licked at his mate’s mane, purring so loudly now as he watched his newborn son paw around on the floor: blind, helpless and tiny; letting out little mewls as he searched for his mother.

It wasn’t long before Noctis had to lie down once more, huffing and panting as the next cub reared his entrance. This one took a little more effort as it came down, the omega pacing weakly about the den while pushing. Noctis yowled softly at the pressure in his heavy womb, his pain intensifying.

Then he knelt on his hind legs, scooting forward as the second cub slid into the world in a coat of blood and slimy mucus. He faced his second cub, another male, and licked him clean while quietly purring. Gladiolus followed close by his mate as he painfully birthed each one of his cubs, soothingly licking at his face and his velvety, ebony mane.

About an hour passed and four cubs were birthed within that hour. Noctis was so exhausted, letting his eyes slip closed just a little before his body reacted to yet another cub ready to be birthed. He knitted above the floor, gazing helplessly at his alpha mate as his purring faded away. “Gladiolus…!”

The alpha father, surrounded by his newborn cubs in their nest, carefully left them and padded over to his omega as he prepared to give birth a fifth time. “Relax, Noctis,” he purred, coming behind him and licking at his swollen vagina. “Not too much longer now.”

“I’m so tired… Gladiolus…” He rolled over onto his back and pushed, the cub’s tiny bottom appearing inside his vaginal opening. “I can’t… wait till they’re… all here…” He panted hard, looking to his mate for comfort. “Gladio!”

The last cub was born just as the sun rose above the horizon. The two, proud lion parents sat in the middle of their litter of five cubs: 4 male, 1 female and each one was small, blind and completely dependant on their mother, suckiling on his teats.

However, Noctis only had four teats, so one cub was left out of the group. A male cub who sniffed around on the floor, looking to be fed as his brothers and sister greedily nursed on their mother. Noctis sleepily lay still for them and looking over at his hungry son, called out for help from his alpha. “Gladio, can you help our son, please?”

Gladiolus sulked in from the entrance of the cave, picking up their greediest cub from his mother by the scruff of his neck and swapping him out with their starving son. “I wish I could feed him while you’re busy with them. They don’t ever make room for him,” Gladiolus grumbled, lying beside his furry, little family.

Noctis lovingly licked his forgotten, hungry little male cub and began to purr. “I know… but I’ve only got four teats. These little ones need to learn to share.”

“With you as their mother? I don’t think so.”

“Quit it,” Noctis eyed him sharply.

 

>>>

A few days had passed and it was once again time for Gladiolus to leave his family to hunt for their supper. Noctis watched him sleepily from their love nest, all five of their hungry cubs climbing over each other to suckle their mother’s teats; each one crying tiny mewls as they struggled for milk.

“Gladio?”, Noctis called for his alpha, a bit of worry in his meow.

Gladiolus turned toward his mate and smiled at the sight of his precious little family, safe and warm in their cozy den. “What is it, Noct?”

“Come back alive… please? We need you.”

Thunder grumbled outside of the rocky outcropping before Gladio let out a gentle roar, telling his mate not to worry. “I will. You know I’d never leave you or the cubs, Noctis. I love you all.”

“We love you too,” the omega yowled in return, curling around his cubs as they napped beside his belly. “I’ll stay awake until you come back.”

Gladiolus nodded, strutting off slowly with a reassuring huff.

A while after the alpha left their den, Noctis set about pacing the hard floor with a strong desire to head out and hunt beside his alpha mate. But he knew he couldn’t. The sight of his cubs all helpless and blind, crawling on their bellies in the nest gave him an important reason to stay.

Although it was quiet around the den, there did seem to be a strange odor permeating the omega’s pink, perky nose. It didn’t smell territorial, sexual, or like an alpha was near, but it absolutely reeked of primal danger: an unknown threat that caused the raised furs on Noctis’s back.

Sulking a return to his nest of newborn cubs, Noctis sat at attention on all four paws. Every nerve in his body reacted to this strange smell, his ears perked for listening and a guttural growl to signal danger to anything that tried to come close.

A swish of magenta mane appeared by the corner of the den, followed by subtlety intimidating brown orbs that glanced around carelessly as if the cavern was devoid of any life. 

A few sniffs of his home and the omega mother gave a low growl at this intruder. “Who the hell are you?”

Those brown eyes set their focus on the family of lions nestled in the warm furs, staring at the ebony omega with a haunting gleam. “Ah, I had no idea this den was taken! I was merely sauntering about, searching for a place to rest for the night when I stumbled upon you, you gorgeous omega,” he explained, his deep tone and mysteriously musky scent giving away his alpha identity.

“Leave,” Noctis barked, standing guard in front of his tiny, helpless cubs.

But the alpha pretended like he wasn’t even there, inching ever closer to the blind, newborn cubs mewling in the warmth of their nest. “Oh, I’m not here to cause trouble, I just wanted to rest,” the strange alpha moved into the omega’s proximity, earning a disapproving growl from the protective mother.

“I said leave!” He swatted at the intruder alpha, baring his canines. Although, he seemed to be losing his nerve the closer the alpha came, backing away from his advances. “Don’t come any closer!”

Before the omega had time to react, the stranger alpha skulked behind him and pounced both hot paws on his rump, forcing him down. The dark lion bit on Noctis's neck, subduing him as the cubs crawled around them. “I don’t see your alpha anywhere,” he mused, biting harder into the omega’s tender neck flesh as he attempted to leave a mating mark. “Are you sure you’re claimed already?”

Feeling his sexual instincts start to replace his maternal ones, Noctis gave a soft yip before lying down, submissive to this mysteriously intoxicating alpha. His sweet, musky scent overwhelmed all of Noctis’s natural instincts to protect his cubs, feeling rather hot and bothered by this alpha as he swept his tail beside his body in preparation for him to copulate with him.

“There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” The alpha bit as hard as he could into the omega’s flesh, indeed leaving a territorial, mating mark next to Gladiolus’s claim. He settled his weight onto the omega and inserted his barbed penis into Noctis’s willing vagina. “All I want, is for you to bear my cubs… can you do that for me, you beautiful omega?”

Noctis mewled agreeably in reply, their copulation beginning.

A few seconds was all the stranger lion needed, pulling out with one last shiver as the omega howled at the barbs scratching at his soft insides, flopping onto his side in exhaustion. The lion stepped away from the nest and made for the exit of the den.

He turned back, letting out a satisfied huff. “Good luck, little omega. And do let your alpha know that he is so very lucky to have claimed you.”

Noctis lay there, panting as his cubs pawed at his belly for milk. He could feel that alpha’s seed flowing through his body, settling into the place where more cubs would be conceived soon.

No matter how many times he rubbed in their nest to bask in his alpha’s scent, that sickeningly sweet odor of that mysterious alpha lingered on his fur. He wasn’t sure how things would go once Gladiolus returned and caught sight of that rival mark on HIS omega mate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, a hard life for these two kitties and their new family, huh?
> 
> I think we can all guess who that stranger alpha was... right?


End file.
